iRradiated
by Coldbloodonmysword
Summary: During a routine episode, everything changes with a single flash of light, followed by searing heat, and darkness. This is just the beginning, however.
1. The Downward Spiral

Quicktip: I own none of the iCarly content. NONE. So don't think I do, did, or ever have or will.

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Chapter One: The Downward Spiral

"Alright, in 5... 4... 3... 2... ". Ah, a refreshing change, Carly thought. A long and boring day was about to be spiced up and made into something eventful. Launching headfirst into the greetings, the show was heading a little faster than usual. Possibly, she thought, because she and Sam had came up with more skit-oriented ideas, and made up for the short times with more of them. However, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't shake the thought of the news earlier that day.

"...which brings us to the main story tonight. The United States seems to have lost a major ally due to a misunderstanding during an earlier UN conference. Minor worries have arisen due to the fact that the ally in question harbors many nuclear weapons, which we have been covering all week."

"Hey, Carls, the show?" A whisper, followed by a nudge, broke the memory. The familiar face of Sam stared back, a welcome break, and pointed at the camera. "There are kinda alot of people sitting at their computers, with the same blank expression you have. Get it together!" She looked at the camera, and smiled.  
"Yeah, sorry! Just was lost in thought." Carly knew she had to keep her cool for the rest of the show, and maybe then lose herself in thought.  
"And with that, we want to reveal a new segment we call.." Sam jumped and waved as Carly followed. "The creepy things I never needed to know but will now share with you!" Sam smiled, and began. "Such as, that whole 'every cockroach you see, there's 10 more you didn't see', thing." They shivered. "Bad things."  
"Very bad." Carly agreed, and shook her head, trying to clear any association to the word Nuclear that was floating in her head. She simply laughed, and began to wait for Sam to say something. Again, she began to see that that word wasn't going to leave anytime soon.  
"Those things are like Freddie. Small, ugly, and probably able to survive an Atomic Bomb." Sam imposed, met with a groan from Freddie.  
"Was that necessary?" He asked from the cart.  
"Yes, yes it was." Sam replied, before pulling out a small DVD she had placed on the table, and handing it to Freddie. With much hesitation and harassment, he played the video. It was nothing more than an animation of Freddie's head on a cockroaches body, as it scurried around. He shut it off, and gave the disk back. "Where did you get that?" He mused.  
"I know people, don't think you are the only one who knows what a processor is." Sam laughed. She could see Freddie was irritated, but that just meant she was winning. At least, in her little mind game. He approached her and asked her who it was then. Sam just laughed it off before shoving him back to the cart. This was a moment that would play back in Carly's head multiple times in the next few months, as it was the last real thing she remembered.

As Freddie hit the cart, a deafening smash was heard in the distance, followed by blinding light. The light was soon followed by a searing heat that nearly knocked her down, and a horrible cacophony of hellish qualities. The last thing Carly heard was the sound of screaming, accompanying a large towering cloud.

There is the short, generic into chapter. Keep in mind this was written at 5:30 in the morning, so a few mistakes here and there might be present. However, I do think my best writing comes in the early hours. /shortest rant I have had so far.


	2. The Day The Whole World Went Away

iRradiated, Chap 2

Quicktip: I own none of the iCarly content. NONE. So don't think I do, did, or ever have or will.

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Chapter Two: The Day The Whole World Went Away --------------------------------------------

It had to have been hours, but it felt like forever. By the time Carly had woken up, Sam and Freddie were nowhere to be found, mainly because she was immersed in total darkness. She couldn't breathe, and began to attempt to move. Her fists struck something solid in front of her, and she began to push on it. With enough force applied, she finally moved a good-sized chunk of brick from her, seeing light finally. It stung like acid, but was welcoming. She could hear screaming in the far distance, and looked around. Miles upon miles away, she could see a large black plume of smoke, which eventually became familiar to her.

It was a mushroom cloud.

The realization of this hit her harder than the fall had to have. She could feel herself weakening again, and gave way to blackness just as she could hear Sam informing Freddie that she saw her move.  
"Alright, you grab her shoulders, I'll grab her legs. Put her up on the chunk there! No, not over there! Fredward, are you dense? THAT one!"  
Slowly, she began to stir. She could move, but didn't want to. "Hey! Freddie! She's moving again, drop that and get over here!" She heard Freddie running, and slowly sat up.  
"W-where am I?" Carly replied, looking around. She could see the apartment building, which was now reduced to nothing more than piles of brick and the like. "Actually, never mind. I think I know."  
"You were out for a good hour or so. Freddie was the first one to get up. He woke me up and we began looking for you. We found you under that pile, and you weren't moving, or breathing. We gave up hope after a few minutes... at least we were wrong. Freddie, grab some of that water. Yeah, toss it over here. Alright. Here, Carly. Drink this." Carly drank, and felt somewhat better.  
"You guys, we can't just stay here. Sam, Freddie, any of you have an idea on how far away we are from... the bomb?" Sam shook her head, and looked at Freddie.  
"Far enough. Some radiation over here, that was inevitable, but we are at a somewhat safe distance. We need to leave and get away from here, and fast." Sam looked at Carly.  
"Where's Spencer?" Carly thought for a second, and responded.  
"Out of town on a trip. In fact, he's at least a state or two away." Carly finally stood up, and looked around. "I never thought this would happen..." She walked back to the ruins, and picked up a floor lamp's body. Unleashing her anger, she swung it at the remnants of the front desk, bending it in the process. She tossed it to the side, and sat down. Sam sat next to her, and put her arm around her.  
"Carls, it's gonna be tough, but I have a feeling we can make it."  
"Do you really?" Carly spoke, never once looking up. Her head was full of so many thoughts.  
"Yeah. In fact, I think that it's lucky the three of us survived. I don't think we would stand a chance alone. I know Freddie wouldn't. If he can't handle a hobo, he'd be soiling his little anti-bacterial undies."  
"Sam, I heard that. And I already said, I don't wear them anymore."  
"Shut up Freddie. Go do something useful, like see if your nerd gear will work anymore." Freddie rolled his eyes, and walked away. "So come on, if anyone can make it, it's Freddie's brain, my brawn, and your motivation's combined power that will make us stronger."  
Carly nodded, and stood up. She looked at the ruins. "Well, Sam, I guess we should try a way to get away from here. Freddie, wasn't there a bus depot down the road away from here?"  
"Uh, yeah, but it's a couple of miles. Do you plan on-?"  
"Yeah. Let's go, like you said. We need to leave, fast." 


	3. Closer

Quicktip: I still own none of the iCarly content. NONE. So don't think I do, did, or ever have or will.

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Chapter Three: Closer

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The three had been moving at a good pace for about 10 minutes before they heard another sound. This one was different.. it was... hellish. The tree of them had stopped in their tracks, and looked around. Sam noticed what had happened first. In the groups rush to escape, they had ruled out the chance that other people had survived. Sam readied what she had grabbed moments before, a rebar, and responded by nudging Carly.  
"Carly. The Alley. Get that brick right there. Fredward, keep that shovel of yours handy. We got company." Carly nodded, picked up the brick, and Freddie gripped the shovel he had found under the ruins of the apartment building. The attacker finally made a move, dashing at the group. The man was clad in remnants of whatever he was previously wearing, including a green vest and a pair of dress pants. Freddie reacted first, swinging the shovel at the man. It connected into his gut, and Carly smashed the brick into his head while he was doubled over, albeit with hesitation. As he struggled to get back up, Sam gave him a clean hit into the temple with the Rebar, effectively ending him. Carly was the first to respond.  
"Well, we just killed some guy. For all we know, there could be more of them out there. If there are, would you guys mind if I cowered in fear? Full-frontal assault followed by murder isn't really my thing." Freddie laughed.  
"Yeah, that's right up Sam's alley."  
"Hey Fredward, shut it or that shovel will be 'right up your alley'."  
"I see your point."  
Carly grabbed their shoulders.  
"That's enough. Freddie, you know not to mess with Sam, especially when she is wielding something she is capable of taking you down with. Sam, the last thing Freddie needs is to remove a shovel that has been forcibly shoved where no shovel should ever be. Now, let's keep moving. Sam, what are you doing?"  
"Checkin' his pockets. Wallet, uh.... a pocketknife, and... a Slim Jim. You guys can have the other stuff, but you touch the Slim Jim, and... well, I might have to give you a good thwacking."  
Sam stood up, took a large chunk out of the Slim Jim, and followed the two.

After a half hour, the trio finally arrived at the "Go! Bus Depot". Asking Freddie if he could try some of the buses and see if they work, and sending Sam to scavenge, she sat down for a few seconds, and heard Freddie sigh, defeated.  
"None of them work. One is so close, just needs one part."  
"Well, I sent Sam to look around, let's see if she brings anything back."  
"She'd better get back soon. The sun'll probably set soon. Are we staying here?"  
"Probably. Oh, here she comes! Sam, found anything?"  
"Uh... a toolbox loaded with all this techie looking stuff. Freddie, have fun. Try not to chop off less than a finger while you're in there." Freddie took the toolbox, and sifted through it.  
"I think I can make the part we needed. If I just connect the jumper cables to the battery, and connect the other ends to-"  
"Nobody cares, Freddie. Just make it quick. Any longer and I'll take that jumper-cable and battery contraption and connect it to your-"  
"And with that, I begin the repairs."  
"Thought so. Alright, Carls, what'll we do for sleeping?" Sam asked, sitting next to Carly.  
"Well, if Freddie gets that bus working, I'm sure we could drive a bit to somewhere safer to sleep. In fact, we could just-"  
The engine on one of the buses roared.  
"Bus works! Carly, Sam, get in." Freddie sat in the driver's seat, and pointed to the seats. "Anywhere." Carly sat behind Freddie, and Sam sat in the seat to the right of her. Sam quickly fell asleep, not even lasting 10 minutes, and Freddie seemed fine. They had to have gone at least 10 miles when Carly could feel herself starting to fall asleep. She had expected this.

What she didn't expect was the breath on the back of her neck.


	4. Head Down

Quicktip: I still own none of the iCarly content. NONE. So don't think I do, did, or ever have or will.

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Chapter Four: Head Down -----------------------------------

Carly's initial shriek was enough to wake Sam up and get a reaction from Freddie. The second one motivated Sam to leap at the attacker, pinning him to the seat before unleashing hell on his face. After a good 18 punches, the man fell limp, and Sam took a look at the unconscious body. Pinning no face, she checked his pockets. She pulled a small Swiss Army knife out , as well as a small amount of money. She opened the window, and struggled to lift the man by his arm.  
"Urk.. Carly? A little help?"  
"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Carly took the other arm, and they pushed the man about halfway when he finally regained consciousness. Kicking at them, he climbed back in. Sam drew the knife, and the man recognized it. Reaching, Sam stabbed the corkscrew into his hand, causing him to topple back into the window again. Carly and Sam worked together to finally finish pushing him out, and closed the window. Sam headed to the back to see what happened to him. Wiping off the window, she saw the back wheel of the bus had to have hit his head, as there wasn't much of it left. Returning to her seat, Carly thanked her, and looked at Freddie. "We gotten anywhere?"  
"Not far, but nice hustle back there. You know, I guess I should have checked the bus, but that might've gotten me killed. Wait, I mean.. Er... whatever."  
"Thanks." She returned to her seat, and saw Sam beginning to fall asleep again. Carly nudged her, and motioned her to sit next to her. "I don't want anything to happen again. Thanks though, again."  
"Hey, we might have to go off the road a bit. I just saw a crowd of those... those... lowlifes. I'll try to cut arou-" He was cut off at the sound of a gunshot ringing out. Swerving, the bus shook and lurched a couple of times, and Freddie lost control of it. The bus swerved as Carly tried to keep her wits. Sam jumped up and tried to take control, but only knocked it further off course. Carly looked up and saw that the bus was currently on a collision course with a Post Office wall.

Author Note: Sorry this chapter is a little short. I made up for it with a double update. Once you see the next chapter, you will probably see why I wanted to start a new chapter for the events about to unfold. Also, has anyone noticed a little thing I got going on with the chapter names? If not, Google might be your friend. If anyone has an idea, post it in your review. If I include it, you'll probably see your name used in some relation or mentioning. 


	5. Into The Void

iRradiated, Chap 5

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Chapter Five: Into The Void ---------------------------------------

Carly awoke, lying in a wet pool. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked around. She saw the bus had smashed through the wall, and the windshield had broken. She began to piece everything together, and found that she had been flung from the bus quite forcefully. She looked down at the pool she was in, and noticed it was blood.

Her blood to be exact. Her left arm had been cut up badly, and had a diversity of cuts, ranging from surface scrapings to gashes. She had to find the others, and stood up, looking for something to wrap her arm with. Checking behind the counter, she found Sam, and she tried to shake her awake. Slowly, Sam became aware that this was not the bus or the deli her dream took place in. Getting up, she noticed Carly's arm.  
"Holy hell, Carly. What happened?" Carly pointed to the smashed up windshield, and saw Freddie, still in the drivers seat. They rushed to his aid, and noticed he was uninjured, minus a small cut on his shoulder. They dragged him out, and tried to wake him up. Getting no response, Sam suggested punching him in the mouth. Carly, thinking fast, attempted to wake him up differently.  
"Alright Sam, stand back, I'm administering mouth-to-mouth CPR." At this sound, Freddie sat up. Realizing that it wasn't going to happen, he dusted himself off.  
"Real funny. Where are we?"  
"Well, before I found Sam and You, I realized that we had smashed into a post office. Let's get out of here." The trio was walking towards the doors when another group appeared on the other side of the window. The crowd was of the low-lives that they had spotted as of far, and began yelling at them. The crowd then looked back, and parted, letting a taller man with a shotgun walk in. The man seemed to lead the crowd, as they fell silent for him.  
"Well, look at what we have here. Derek, board that door shut. Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are a small group looking to survive after the shit hit the fan. Seeing as we are, or will be, the last signs of human life, we call ourselves 'The Vestigials'. Greg, Eric, Alex, Steve, move those dumpsters and fridges in front of these windows."  
"Hey, listen up, we're only teenagers! We have no clue what to do, we just stole a bus and crashed into this place!" Sam screamed.  
"Well, I think we might have a use for you... yes... Vestigials, how do they sound? Tasty? Well then, let us waste no more time. Don't bother trying to push this stuff away from the windows. I think, however, you might want to make a run for the storage. Knowing my Vestigials, once you are cooked, they won't waste time tearing you apart. Now, like I said. Run." He held the shotgun through a small hole in the barricade, firing at the bus, causing the engine to burst into flames. "Vestigials! I want to hear you scream with hunger! Race those children to the door! Tear them apart! I want to wear the sassy one's skin on my boots! Bring any of them alive and back to me and I'll have your head! I WANT THEM DEAD! I WANT TO DRINK THE VERY ESSENCE THEY LIVED OFF OF!"

Freddie reacted first, grabbing the girls hands and running them into the back hall.  
"We gotta run. Soon, that engine will explode. If we are too close, I think he'll get that insane stuff he was screaming about." The room began to fill with smoke, and the group made a beeline to the back door. Sam noticed a loose arm on a paper cutter, and tore it off, before catching up. The three emerged out the back door and into the alley, turning to see the crowd beginning to gain on them. There were screams of hunger, screams of wanting blood, and even an odd scream of... desires. Sam pointed out a fire escape, and the three made their way there, and used a garbage can to get onto it. The escape was loose, and snapped just as Freddie was about to reach the top. Sam and Carly, already at the top, grabbed his hands and pulled him up. The escape came crashing down, and had to have taken out a Vestigial or two. Their leader had already reached the group and was still shouting at them.  
"Don't let them escape! My boots yearn for the flesh of the blonde! Find a way up! DO NOT LET THEM GET OUT OF YOUR GRASP!"  
Sam shook her head, and threw her arms up.  
"You are insane, sir! Insane! Besides, I kinda planned on having my flesh for another fourty years!"  
"Only fourty?" Carly responded, confused.  
"Well, I figure because of the fact that I'm probably gonna end up dying in a prison or something... Hey, Crazy Dude! Just changed my mind! Another twenty years!" Carly shook her head.  
"Sam, stop being so pessimistic. We have bigger tasks at hand than prison death. They will eventually find away up here. Freddie, I'm getting another crazy idea. Do some of your big brain magic and see if there's any easy way out of here."  
Freddie looked around, and saw that there was a large wooden plank on a nearby unfinished roof. "They won't need that... Sam, dare to make a risk on your life?"  
"Might as well. Talking to you is bad enough. What is it?"  
"Just jump that gap. Over there, lift that plank and use it to bridge the same gap."  
"Simple enough."  
"It's a wide gap."  
"Whatever." Sam walked over, and eyed the gap. Backing up, she leapt, barely coming close to missing. "Hey Freddie, you must have calculated that wrong. The two of you can jump that gap, easy. I'm gonna sit here."  
Carly took a deep breath and cleared the gap, and turned, watching Freddie. He was hesitating. However, as soon as one of the Vestigials had gained access to the roof and was leading a small group, he had no reason not to. With the three on the other roof, Sam began to taunt the group.  
"Ha! Look who's over here, us, not you!"  
"Uh, Sam, they can jump, too. They're people, not zombies."  
"Oh. Well, in that case, into that stairwell. Looks like we're making another run for it."

Author Note: There you go, part 2 of today's update. I hope you see how this needed it's own chapter. In fact, this whole chapter ended up changing greatly. Instead of a simple escape, they were supposed to have to run a gauntlet of challenges in the back rooms to leave, Sam was supposed to nearly not make the jump, not overshoot it. Carly still needs to patch that arm up. However, after all that whole commotion, when would she get the time? Well, that's it for today. Remember to return. 


	6. Even Deeper

Quicktip: Even in a fictional apocalypse, I still own none of the iCarly content. NONE. So don't think I do, did, or ever have or will.

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Chapter Six: Even Deeper ------------------------

Filing down the dark stairwell, the group could almost feel the Vestigials converging on them. The entire apartment complex was a mystery, and the group finally ducked into a larger, more private seeming room. Sam locked and barricaded the door, while Carly used a shard of glass to remove one of the sleeves from her shirt and slide it over the wounds. It only covered about half of her arm, so she had to use the other sleeve. Holding them in place, she got into the bathroom, and was lucky enough to find a first aid kit. Securing the wrappings, she realized she could have just as easily saved her shirt and only use the gauze from the kit. She shook her head, clearing the idea. It was the end of the world as she had come to know it, and she was worrying about a shirt? Sam was shouting about them finding something to beat the hell out the incoming Vestigials who were tearing at the door, and Carly searched the bathroom one last time. She procured nothing more than a simple plunger, and ran back out to join Freddie, armed with a section of pipe. Sam finally stopped pushing the barricade into the door, and backed up to the others. She noted that they should hide, and Freddie ran to the bathroom, Carly ran into the bedroom, and Sam went into the closet. She still had the Paper Cutter arm, so she kept it close. Hearing the barricade smash down, footsteps filled the room, along with more of the screams. Carly was the first one to be noticed, as she tried to hide next to the door. As the Vestigials tore into the room, Freddie ran out and began clubbing at the the group. Sam came out of the closet to aid, and began to chop wildly. The group wasn't standing much of a chance, and Carly's frenzied screaming, with the sound of rubber colliding with heads, a hollow, slightly painful thump sound, seemed to cause the Vestigials to become even more agitated, and increase in the wish to rip every last muscle and ligament from her body, a thought Carly deemed very unpleasant. The plunger finally snapped, and the handle was reduced to jagged wood. Carly had been forced over the bed, and was propped up against the wall, diligently fighting, although she was not the type to endure under harsh conditions. Seeing an opportunity though, she thrust with the splintered handle, piercing a larger Vestigial's throat and producing a large blood fountain. At this time, Sam and Freddie finally reached the room, and finished off the Vestigials. Helping Carly up, they noticed that she was drenched in blood. Freddie began to look as if he was about to vomit, and Sam stared on with amazement and.. Carly detected it in her eyes. Was it..? No it couldn't be. But, it was there in her eyes. Sam realized that Carly was staring at her, reading the look in her eyes, and quickly blushed, stammering about "Meat in dumpsters" before walking out of the room. Carly had to find some sort of way to get the blood off of her, and walked back into the main room. Sam was nowhere to be found. Carly followed a small trail of bloody footprints, from Sam's shoes, nonetheless, she guessed, and was lead down and out, where Sam was indeed in the alley. Carly had to think, and avoid any awkward confrontations. "H-h-hey."  
"Oh. Uh, hey, Carly. Is Freddina with you?"  
"Nah, he seemed a bit shocked at-" She stopped herself. She couldn't let the conversation get awkward.  
"Well.. I could understand why.. I mean.."  
"Yeah. I know what you mean." The two fell silent for a few minutes. Carly spoke up again.  
"Ok. Uh... should we pretend that never happened?"  
"I'd like that."  
"Alright. Well, I guess that we should all get some rest. I'll go see if Freddie is ok."  
"Ok. I'll come up. That room we were in had a comfortable looking bed. Er- I mean... Look, I'm gonna shut up."  
Carly laughed, and walked back inside. This was of no surprise to her, as Sam had always been a little... different around her. However, she went upstairs, talked to Sam as she moved the dead bodies out of the room, and fell asleep. Freddie later tried to lay down next to her, but Sam quickly fixed it with a smack upside the head, and waited for him to fall asleep in the tub. After this, Sam was soon lying next to Carly, and throughout the night, ended up falling asleep with her arms around her.

Author Note: Hmm. I had trouble writing the last half, and literally re-wrote it about 4 times, and I'm STILL not pleased! I guess that it's just impossible to express the way Sam tries to hide her feelings after hell has been unleashed. Also, I have no clue why Carly didn't attempt to wash the blood off of her before confronting Sam again, seeing as it seemed to turn her on. She also slept, still covered in blood. What is with her not noticing and correcting problems until the next chapter? I guess we will never know, although the last 3 chapters were during the later hours... Maybe she was too tired? And to rabid Cam fans, don't expect anything big, and DEFINITELY no full-on action. Sorry. There are other stories out there for that.  
Also, props to SquishyCool, for noticing how I named the chapters. Now I need to figure out if she simply googled them... 


	7. Help Me I Am In Hell

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Chapter Seven: Help Me I Am In Hell -----------------------------------

When the morning light finally shined through the shattered remains of the windows and Sam awoke, everyone was gone. There was a piece of paper on the bed, and she read it to herself out loud.  
"Sam, gone scavenging with Freddie. Be back soon."  
She got up, stretched, and looked out the window. The entire scene looked a little less... disturbing, with fresh sun shining over it. She couldn't hear or see the group, so she decided to check out the building for anything useful. Heading downstairs, she went into the first room on the left, and scanned, noticing a chest of drawers. Searching, she found nothing except for a small tattered note. It was beyond reading though, smudged too badly. The next few rooms yielded nothing, and she went down another floor. That floor was much more forgiving, and she found a few things she could bring back to the room. Heading upstairs with a small handgun and a box of ammo she had found in a closet. She also had raided the fridge of a few rooms, although it was less successful than she had wished, only finding a container of expired... something. She had the room to herself for who knows how long, and she tried to keep herself entertained. She quickly found that amenities she liked, such as TVs and radios no longer worked after a nuclear apocalypse. She proceeded to watch the still scene outside the window when she heard footsteps in the hallway. It was too heavy to be Carly or Freddie. She picked the handgun up off of the bed quietly, ducking beside the bed, and tried to load it without him noticing, but had trouble. Her family had taught her how to aim a gun, as well as loading one, but she wasn't exactly on the highest plane of thought. The slide jerked back irregularly, and she had to retry. This caught the ear of the person in the hallway. As they entered the room, Sam finally got the gun loaded, and popped up, and squeezed three rounds into the female intruder. She went down, and Sam walked over. Checking him, she saw that she wore an orange jumpsuit, labeled KCJDC. She checked the pockets, and found a zippo lighter. Taking it, she heard more footsteps running up the stairs. These were lighter, and she saw Carly and Freddie pop up.  
"Sam, you ok? Me and Freddie heard gunshots. Oh, wait. You have the gun. Well, anyways, are you ok?"  
"Yeah, just had to defend myself."  
"With a pistol?"  
"I found it. Is she familiar to you?" Carly recognized the initials on the back, but not the face.  
"KCJDC... I was there once. Not a good period of my life. In fact, I remember you did something to send me there. If only I could remember what..."  
"Oh yeah... sorry."  
"Three months Sam!"  
"Yeah, I've been in longer."  
"Whatever. Me and Freddie found some food, but that's it. Actually... If KCJDC still stands... we should pop in. It's a bit down the road, but Freddie did find another working vehicle."  
"Sure, sounds good to me." And with that, Sam clicked the safety on her gun on, and pocketed it, ammo in the other pocket. Freddie pointed out a small black car, and the three piled in, checking every crevice of the car first. Freddie turned the key, and the three were off.

Author note: If anyone finds this chapter late, blame it on "Bob the Centipede". He lives in my room, and hides. Just when I was on a good roll on this story, the popped out FROM UNDER MY KEYBOARD AND SCURRIED ACROSS MY FUCKING FINGER. When you don't expect that shit, it's scary. I was watching him for the next 30 minutes. Fucker is hiding under my desk right now... I saw him fall out of the top of my closet and run under it. He seems to beinto extreme sports. Like freaking the shit out of me. 


	8. The Big Come Down

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Chapter Eight: The Big Come Down ----------------------------------

It had taken hours, but when they finally arrived, they found that KCJDC had been in good standing before the bomb, and better standing than every building they had seen so far after. Nearly half the building had to have been standing. The only real damage to the front was the "King County Juvenile Detention Center" Sign above the door. Sam kept her hand on her weapon, and Freddie was ready for anything that could come at him, although he still needed some sort of weapon. Carly stayed in the back, and listened as Sam hushed them. There was a voice screaming for help. It wasn't very far away, coming from what used to be the showers. Leading, Sam rounded the corner, and spotted someone under a pile of concrete, most likely from the hole in the ceiling. Carly peered in, and immediately recognized the face.  
"Penny?" Carly asked, walking in front of the other two.  
"Ah.. C-Carly? Is that you? Look, help me out here! I was scrounging around when the ceiling collapsed. I've been here for at least 5 hours, and don't think that I'll really last much longer..." Carly stared, deep in thought.  
"No."  
"No? What the hell do you mean, no?"  
"Do you remember how miserable you made my life when I was here? How nasty you were to me? As my cellmate, the least I could have expected was someone who didn't plan on making it all worse from the first day."  
"I-I-I... Gah, Carly, can't you just forget about all that?" Freddie and Sam were slowly backing up, letting the two have their space.  
"Forget 3 months of total hell? Just like that?"  
"Yes. Please. Can you?"  
"Look Penny. Saving you would be a waste of time. In fact, dying like this is too good for you, if you ask me. Now, we have more important things to do. Hope you rot." Carly spit on her, and left.  
"Damn, Carly. You have a reaaaaally bad bad side, don't you?" Sam asked, as Carly passed by.  
"She also called you a bitch." Carly lied, knowing this would get Sam to do something. Sure enough, as she left, Sam ran in and gave her a swift kick to the face, and caught up with them. Carly was awfully quiet, in fact the only sound anyone could hear at the moment was Penny's quiet sobbing. However, a few seconds later, there was frenzied pounding on the main doors. Carly had a second to think, and decided that they needed to hide in the cells. The three ran into a nearby open cell, and hid. A loud crash came from the front doors, followed by the frenzied screaming of Vestigials. Once again, the little posse was lead by the shotgun man.  
"I heard someone in here, Vestigials. Check the showers." A few seconds later, the rubble in the showers crashed around, followed by Penny's terrified screeches. "NO! Do not kill her, Vestigials. She seems to show potential. I can almost see the hate in her. Take her back to the compound. Now." As he turned to leave, Sam coughed. He turned around. Everyone held their breath. He finally left, and everyone sighed in relief.  
"Sam! That was too close." Freddie whispered.  
"Not my fault." She whispered back. "Hey, anyone got some water? I need something to drink..."  
"You know Sam, ancient civilzations would drink their urine."  
"Uh, no, Freddork. Not gonna do that."  
"Oh well, we don't have any water."  
"Damnit. Freddina, Carly, I guess you guys need to leave for a few seconds."  
"Ew Sam, are you really going to... Freddie was just joking! Right, Freddie?"  
"Nope. Sorry Carly."  
"That's just horrible." As much as Carly disliked the idea of having to drink urine, she and Freddie walked away. She could hear Sam hesitating, and then drinking, followed by coughing and retching.  
"Alright... I'm done with that." Sam beckoned, and tried to find something to wash her hands in. As Freddie walked up, she dried her hands on his shirt. Of course, he freaked out, and began shouting, while Sam simply laughed. Carly rolled her eyes, and seperated them.  
"Guys... we need to finish searching this place."  
"I'd say you guys aren't missing out on anything." An unfamilliar, femine voice answered from behind them.

Authors Note: Penny, Lindsey, and KCJDC are ALL properties belonging to SquishyCool. She has some awesome fics, and I would highly recommend them to you. Also, Bob is still alive. 


	9. Echoplex

----------------------

Chapter Nine: Echoplex

----------------------

The three turned, ans only Carly could make out who it was. It took her what seemed to be forever, but she finally made the connection.

"Lindsey? Is that you?" Her voice shook with disbelief.

"Yup. How do you know.. oh! Carly! It's you! How've you been?"

"Uh... as good as I can be after surviving a nuclear bomb..."

Sam whispered into Carly's ear.

"Another person you hate?"

"No Sam, she actually made this place bearable."

"Alright." Sam stepped back, and looked at Lindsey. "Sorry about that, Lindsey. I'm Sam, this is Fredderina."

"The name is Freddie. And Sam, how can you still harass me in THESE conditions?"

"It's a part of my life."

Lindsey laughed.

"Sam, the one that got Carly thrown in here?"

"Hey, you can't-.. Oh yeah, you can. Uh... I'm gonna go hit Fredward with something large and heavy." She turned around, grabbed Freddie's collar, and pulled him out of the room.

"Lindsey, shouldn't you be searching for your family?"

"Carly, I just really started living. I mean, the bomb dropped only yesterday, and for that entire day, everyone panicked, and gutted the place. There were some creepy hobo-looking people out in the facility rec, near the pool. At least, that's what I had heard from Penny, before she went off. Have you seen her? I ended up hiding all day yesterday."

"Uh... nope. Don't know where Penny is. No clue."

"Yeah you do. I heard shouting earlier. that got me moving, and I found you guys.

"_SAM NO! ARE YOU INSANE? NOT A BEDPOST! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, NO!" _Freddie screamed from the the other cell, followed by the sound of a clubbing to the stomach.

"Uh.... I think we should leave."

"Mind if I tag along?"

"Oh! Not at all. In fact, we need someone to keep an eye on Sam." With that, the two girls left, and Sam peered out.

"You guys done?"

"Yeah, are you? Oh yeah, Lindsey's tagging along."

"Alright, just remember this Lindsey, I am the alpha blonde, you are the.. uh... lesser blonde."

"Sam!"

"It's alright Carly. I think we'll get along just fine."

A few minutes later, the four had reached the rec area. Sure enough, there were some unaware Vestigials hanging out around the pool area. The water was mostly gone, and there was an unfortunate Vestigial lying at the bottom, motionless. Carly realized that Sam still had the bedpost, and the other three were unarmed. Carly whispered to Sam, full of devious intent.

"Hey Sam. I just heard that guy on the left talk about ham. He said there was a stash that he has the key to, and his friend over there has the map to it."

"Ham? HAM? _**HAAAAAAAAAAM!!**_"__Sam wailed, dashing at the about-to-be-unfortunate Vestigials. Smacking one in the face in an uppercutting motion, he tumbled into the pool, and landed headfirst into the bottom. The other Vestigial, realizing the shit he was in, began to run. Sam wasn't about to let these ham-hiding fools escape, and she boomeranged the bedpost and hit the man, knocking him to the ground. Sam finished him off using her bare hands, tossing him into the pool as well. She carefully climbed down to the bottom, and searched their pockets. One man didin fact have a map. Although it didn't look like the Detention Center. Instead, it seemed... well, not like it was to ham. She pocketed it, and checked the other man. He indeed had a key. Sam had thought this could have been a simple ploy to get her to eliminate the two, but was proven wrong. Carly, however, just stood, jaw dropped in shock at the fact they actually had the stuff she had made up. Sam handed the map to Carly. "Doesn't look like it has anything to do with ham. I hope you weren't lying." Carly just sat there, amazed. Sam began to check out the surrounding area with Freddie and Lindsey. Carly slowly regained her composure, and caught up. Sam had found a maintenance door. The key she had was a perfect fit, and they followed a dark tunnel to another door. It opened out a stairwell, which itself lead into a watchtower. Up above, they had one of the best views they had ever had.

"Woah....." Sam couldn't help but submit to the amazing landscape she could see.

"Well... where now...?" Lindsey responded, showing the same amazement.

Author note: Yup, the characters Penny, Lindsey, and KCJDC STILL belong to SquishyCool, whom, as of now, hasn't updated any fics! :(

And hey, where do you guys want to see them go next? For my (as of now) 2 reviewers.... SUGGEST THIS STORY TO YOUR FRIENDS! TELL THEM YOU LIKE IT, SPREAD THE WORD. Don't be greedy with meh.


	10. The Persistence Of Loss

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Chapter Ten: The Persistence Of Loss

---------------------

As the four took in the view, they noticed a small movement towards the south, out of KCJDC, approaching them. As the movement got closer, they gradually noticed it was a small group, nay, a small army of Vestigials, nearing the building.

"We have to leave. Now." Freddie spoke up, leading the four down the stairs. "The sooner we're out of here, the better. Lindsey, you know this place the best. I mean, not saying anything bad, but-"

"It's fine. And yeah, I think I know where we can go. Follow me, and we can get to the warden's office. Grab some stuff there, and get the hell outta here." She replied, leading them through some corridors, through a cell or two, and through an occasional stairwell. No sooner than had they reached the wardens office did the unpleasant sound of footsteps arrive in the main hall. The office had a clear view of the area, and it was very evident that the Vestigials "Mr. Shotgun", a term coined by Sam, had sent were finally planning on killing them. They were well-armed, many of them toting military-grade weaponry. One of them was searching the cells, and found an unfortunate boy, aged no more than 16, dragged him out, and began to make an example. The four were still watching, unable to turn away as two Vestigials held him up while others stomped his kneecaps in, and threw him to the ground. One of them spoke up.

"Is this what you want? Is this how you want to die? Tortured, and left? He has sent us, not to take this boy, but to take you three!" He fired a pistol round into the boy's shoulder, effectively incapacitating him. One Vestigial looked up, and made eye contact with Sam.

"THE BLONDE! UP THERE! IN THE WARDEN'S OFFICE!" The outfit looked up, and saw the four. "THERE'S ANOTHER WITH THEM! AND, IT'S ANOTHER BLONDE! NOW WE CAN SKIN AND EAT TWO OF THEM!" They cheered, and began running in different directions.

"C'mon! If we backtrack back, the bottom of the watchtowers have doors into the yard!" Lindsey seemed to keep her cool, and led them yet again. Reaching the yard, there was only 50 feet to the nearest gate door, secured by multiple locks. Lindsey had grabbed the key from the office, and began to double her sprint speed, hoping to unlock the doors before the others got there. Fumbling, she began to unlock as a shot rang out, someone screamed, and someone fell. Turning, she saw that one of them had shot Sam in the right calf, and she was on the ground.

"Carly! Help!" Her screams were drowned out by the sound of Vestigial frenzy, and they grabbed her feet. Dragging, she clawed to stay where she was. Realizing it was futile, she remembered the small handgun she had holstered, and fired a few rounds into her captors, dropping them, However, victory wasn't long lasted, as she was simply grabbed by more, and one stomped her wrist, disarming her. The Vestigials dragged her inside, and she tried to grab the door frame, but lost her grip quickly. The whole time, Carly was being restrained by Freddie, who was screaming at her to let it go, even though he wanted to stop them just as much as she did. Normally he would be too weak, but his body's adrenal glands had just kicked in fast enough to get a grip on her. Lindsey informed them the door was open, and she ran out, Freddie towing Carly behind him. They ran around the building, watching the Vestigial army drag a sobbing, thrashing Sam away, before detouring into a hospital. They took her inside, and closed the door. Helpless, Carly collapsed into a mess, and Freddy and Lindsey comforted her.

"Carly, it's ok. There's still 3 of us, maybe if you, me, and Lindsey work together, we might be able to get her. However, we'd need to give them a bit to think they lost us. In the mean time, let's go back inside, see if the Vestigials dropped anything, search the guard barracks, and the sort." Carly looked up at him, eyes full of sorrow. She slowly nodded, and looked back down. What if they did do everything they could, but... they were too late? No. She had to stop thinking like that. These thoughts repeated, until Freddie and Lindsey helped her up, and lead her inside.

Author Note: Sorry it's a bit short, but I hope that the whole... idea of the scene made up for it.


	11. I Do Not Want This

-------------------

Chapter Eleven: I Do Not Want This

-------------------

Sam's eyelids fluttered open, as she groggily woke up, being dragged by her arms in the middle of a crowd of Vestigials, moving through a dimly lit hallway. The Vestigials were murmuring, and she strained to listen.

"...Can't wait...."

"...I don't know! Ask him when we get there..."

"...I miss the Internet..."

"...make a nice pair of boots, no?..."

"...Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes..."

Sam's headache took over, and she had to stop listening. The last thing she remembered was one of them clubbing her over the head with his rifle, then blackness. She could feel that her head had actually been bleeding, and remembered her leg, which had just sent a metric assload of pain up, and she winced, and ended up blacking out. When she finally awoke again, she was chained in a room, somewhat large, definitely on a sub-basement, yes, she was sure of it. Stairs leading up, no windows of ANY sort... it had to be a sub-basement. She looked at her arms and legs, chained to the floor and ceiling, leaving her in the shape of an X. The Vestigials all were conversing around the room, some of them staring into empty space, some staring at her, some talking to each other. They had to have been waiting for something, and sure enough they all fell silent and stared as the man with the shotgun descended the stairs. He watched the Vestigials before he approached Sam.

"Finally, I meet you. Look at these boots. Look at them." He grabbed Sam's chin, and tilted her head down. "There's something missing... isn't there? Oh yeah.. YOUR SKIN. I want to skin you alive. Do you know how painful that will be for you? They will not kill you before, you will be fully aware and awake during this entire procedure. I will make sure you blee-" Sam responded by spitting in his open mouth. "Gah! A spicy one, huh? Hmm... maybe you need something worse." He put his forehead on hers, and whispered. "Are you a virgin? I would hope so, because after my Vestigials are done with you, I really hope you are begging for them to kill you. Alright? In fact, after this, I'll have them hang your skinned body above this hospital, so that your little friends can see it. Alright then. I can see that my Vestigials are ready, and that-" He was cut off by a girls voice, a younger, familiar voice.

"Chad, get up here, there's three people down the road, and they're coming this way."

"Babe, I'm busy, Ok? 'Kinda threatening lives down here?"

"Ok, just let them invade. See if I give a shit." That's when it hit her. That voice from the showers... that one that she kicked in the head.. if only she could remember the name. Was it Pamela? No... Penny? Yes. That's who it was. She sounded young.. No more than maybe 14ish. And did he call her "Babe?" Then it hit her. His name was Chad. She couldn't control her laughter, and Chad glared at her.

"Hey! What's so funny?"

"Y-Y-Your name is CHAD! Bahaha!"

"Well.. Well.. Uh.. You're a slut!" His voice had cracked as he yelled at her, making her laugh even harder. He was practically whining.

"This is just too funny!"

"That's it! I have better stuff to do then be harassed by some 16 year old! Vestigials! Remember what I said! Don't skin her until whoever wants some of her gets some! Consider it a gift!" He ran upstairs, presumably to see who was coming their way. Sam stopped laughing however when she realized that she was about to be raped by some degenerate low-lives whom were planning on flaying her alive afterwards. She tried to shake out of the chains, but failed miserably, helpless as one of them began to cut into her clothes with a switchblade, and tear them off.

Authors Note: Yeah... so, uh, that just happened. Trust me, it was as awkward writing it as it was awkward for you to read. Which might not be too awkward. For those of you going "LOLOL AW Y U NO RITE GRAFIC SAM RAEP????", There are other stories out there for that. If you really type like that as well, please, get off of the Internet. I don't write that stuff (As of the writing of this chapter, just in case of future endeavors.)

Also, this was a deleted line of Vestigial chatter from the beginning, I removed it because I thought nobody would get the joke.

"...Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime..."

If you don't get it, google it. Listen to it.

Plus, SquishyCool helped in naming Chad, so hit her profile, check out her fics, and, please, don't be a dickhead, review stories if you put them on alert. Whenever people put a story on alert and don't review it, I have to suppress the urge to reenact my favorite scenes from SAW on them. Hint: I like the really gory ones. Hmm, my spellcheck says that "Fics" should be Ficus. In that case, Check Squishy's Ficus plants as well, I guess.

Also, "Metric Assload" is one of my favorite terms.


	12. Pilgrimage

-  
Chapter Twelve: Pilgrimage ------------------------

The three remaining members of the group were walking up towards the hospital when a shot rang out, and a sniper shell whizzed by. The shell bounced off the ground, and the three scattered, Carly and Freddie taking cover behind a large piece of concrete, Lindsey over near a wrecked, gutted car.  
"Freddie, what now?"  
"I'm thinking... Hey, maybe if we get Lindsey to attract his attention, we could sneak in."  
"Alright, but what're we gonna do once we get inside?"  
"I grabbed these back in the Warden's office." He handed her a pistol, keeping one for himself, and they motioned to Lindsey. She looked over, and Freddie pointed at the guns, and threw one at her. It clunked onto the ground near her, discharging a stray bullet that almost hit her. She glared at him, but picked it up. Waiting until she heard him chambering another round, only to find the gun empty, she took her chance, firing at him while Carly and Freddie dashed inside. Freddie flashed a thumbs up at her, and she returned it. They entered the building, and looked around. Most of the lights no longer worked, although the Vestigials had to have found some way to power a few, as they were on. A voice came from down the hallway.  
"What's her problem? All I want to do is skin her, and she has to laugh at me? How is my name so funny?" A female voice responded.  
"Chad, baby, it's nothing. If you want, I bet they'll save the skinning until you dispatch the three. Let me go ask them, although by the sound of it, they're enjoying themselves." Carly recognized the voice, pinning it on Penny. He had rescued her, and made her his girlfriend? She was around 14, and he had to be in his late 20s! She shook her head in disgust, and followed Freddie behind the main desk. After Chad had angrily passed by, and headed outside, they heard him yelling at Lindsey, followed by the sound of shotgun shells and sniper fire. Carly knew she wouldn't last too long, and she motioned to Freddie to keep moving. He followed and they found Penny walking back towards a door. They waited until she went downstairs, and came back up, going down another hallway. Freddie re-took the lead, taking the two downstairs. The sound of Vestigials filled the entire room, and they noticed that they seemed to be coming upstairs, some of them mumbling about having to wait for something, and the two ducked back out, hiding nearby until they had passed. Slipping downstairs, Carly went first, and spotted Sam, literally wearing only her Shoes and Socks, as well as a few remnants of clothing. She ran over, and Freddie emerged, looked in Carly's direction, and fell over. Carly shook her head, and noticed that Sam had passed out. She gave her a sharp smack to get her up, and Sam reacted violently.  
"WHAT, DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH OF- oh, it's you Carly. Would you mind getting me out of here? And uh, I kinda need some new clothes." Carly was amazed that she was keeping her head in a situation like this. However, she noticed the locks were, well, locked. Looking around, she saw a keyring on the wall. Grabbing it, she unlocked the hand shambles, and moved to the foot shackles. Once Sam was free, she hugged Carly, and peeled back sticky. Carly looked down, noticing that the once blue t-shirt now had white spots here and there. Looking at Sam, she sighed.  
"You should probably wash that, uh.."  
"Yeah. Soon. It's not pleasant to be covered in it."  
"I would guess as much."  
"Freddork here?"  
"Yeah, he's over on the floor."  
"Ah, the 'ol Puckett look was too much for him. Let's hope his heart stopped." She laughed, and nudged Carly, once again ruining the shirt further.  
"I'm gonna stop doing that."  
"Could you? Now we both need a new shirt." At that moment, Freddie sat up, and looked around. Sam noticed him, and shot a glare at him.  
"Keep staring and your face will be extra-white, Benson. Why don't you go find some spare clothes. It's a hospital basement, there's gotta be some spares." He went off, and when he looked back over his shoulder, Sam threw her shoe in his face. He hurried up, returning with two patient gowns. "This is all that I could find. Sorry." The two checked the gowns, and put them on.  
"Ew Sam, you're just gonna ruin that, too."  
"Carly, I think I kinda know that. I can't do anything about it though." She went to the pieces of her jeans, and took her belongings back, throwing them into a nearby bag, and picked up the bag. "Where's that Lindsey chick?"  
"Pinned outside by that shotgun guy. I guess his name is Ch-"  
"Chad." Sam cut Freddie off, almost laughing again at the name. "Now, let's get out of this hellhole before they try to skin me." As the last e left Sam's lips, the door at the top of the stairwell opened.

Author Note: This chapter was made really late, although most of you don't read it until late, so I'm not really worried about that. Now, I am off to sleep, and if the chapter seems a bit short, I apologize. In fact, to show how late it was made, compare the two schedules.

NORMAL SCHEDULE FOR WRITING A CHAPTER (Times are, of course, estimates)  
3:30ish AM: Open new google document.  
3:31ish AM: Type file name of document.  
3:32ish AM to 3:56ish AM: Youtube break. (DON'T JUDGE ME)  
3:59ish AM: Name chapter.  
4:00ish AM: Begin writing.  
4:30ish AM to 5:30ish AM: Youtube break part two, read some fics, listen to some music, attempt to get stubborn files on my computer to work. (As you can see by now, I kinda get sidetracked)  
5:31ish AM: Realize I've written 4 lines so far.  
5:32ish AM: Realize once again that I need to focus.  
5:33ish AM to 5:43ish AM: Once again, Youtube break, or read some fics.  
5:44ish AM: Smack self.  
5:45ish AM to 6:10ish AM: Finish writing chapter.  
6:11ish AM to 6:12ish AM: Spellcheck the son of a bitch.  
6:13ish AM to 6:14ish AM: Add my author notes.  
6:15ish AM: Copy and Paste chapter into Notepad. Save. Go back to Google docs, and Save and Close there.  
6:18ish AM: Upload file to (FINALLY.  
6:19ish AM: Add chapter to story.  
6:20ish AM: Lie down, watch some TV.  
7:00ish AM: Fall asleep.  
3:30ish PM: Wake up.

THIS CHAPTER'S WRITING SCHEDULE 4:30ish AM: Open new google document.  
4:50ish AM: Realize I've been staring at empty. Begin to write.  
5:00ish AM: Youtube break.  
5:25ish AM: Realize I've barely gotten any work done.  
5:30ish AM: Stop thinking of excuses, work ass off to get chapter done.  
6:00ish AM: Finish chapter.  
6:01ish AM: SPELLCHECK IT.  
6:02ish AM: Begin author note.  
6:03ish AM to 6:47 AM: Write shitty schedule in author note.  
6:48ish AM: Copy and Paste chapter into Notepad. Save. Go back to Google docs, and Save and Close there, Upload to .  
6:50ish AM: Add chapter.  
7:00ish AM: Lie down, watch some TV.  
7:30ish AM: Fall asleep.  
4:00ish PM: Wake up.

As you can see, this chapter has reaaaaly thrown me off. Sorry. By the way, as I am writing this, I'm wasting time, and it's 6:48, still haven't done what I said I would. Oh shit. 


	13. Complication

-  
Chapter Thirteen: Complication -----------------------------

The three shot a look at one another, and scattered, Sam hiding in the dark behind the stairs, Carly behind a larger box, and Freddie ran over to Sam's hiding spot, not realizing she was there. Sam gave him a punch in the arm, and Freddie winced, staying silent. They were hoping that whoever was coming down the stairs was alone and wouldn't notice them, and Carly peeked out to see who was there, and saw that it was indeed Penny, staring at Sam's shackles.  
"Where the hell did she... Hmm..." She thought, and turned around, seeing Carly's hair fly back behind the box. She slowly walked over to the box, and just as she looked around the corner, Sam hit her over the head, rending her unconscious. The three worked together to drag her into a secluded corner, and left her. Freddie asked Sam if she had any sort of weapon. She nodded, showing her pistol she had retrieved from the apartment building a little while back. Freddie smirked, and looked over at Penny.  
"We should probably leave now. When she gets up, she won't be happy.." The others nodded, and Sam took lead, taking them upstairs before sneaking out of the stairwell door. In front of them was a large crowd of Vestigials, seated in a large room that seemed to be working as a presentation room. Sam pointed out that they were saying something about skinning her in a room for all to see, and then displaying the flayed body. Freddie almost vomited, while Carly just tried to shake disgust off. Carly motioned back to the lobby, and said that they should leave. As the three went to turn, they heard a Vestigial scream out noticing them, causing Carly to scream as well, as they dashed, taking another stairwell up. Upstairs was eerily empty, but they had no time to muse, as the Vestigials came barreling into the stairwell. Sam took out a good 5 or so with some well placed shots, and then turned to run back with the group. They had reached the end and turned left, into the room where the sniper had Lindsey pinned down. Freddie took a few shots into his neck while he was still looking through his scope, killing him almost instantly. Sam noticed a glimmer of gray on his belt, and picked it up, noticing it was a small military grade hand grenade. She screamed at Carly and Freddie to get down, lobbing it into the hall, bouncing it off the wall and into the path of the Vestigials, before exploding noisily, and messily. The entire hallway was painted a light red, with various sizes of meat chunks raining through. The entrance of the sniper hideout had a good amount to blood splattered on it, but none had reached the group. After seeing that nobody was left in the hall, the three looked out, seeing that they had literally blown a large hole in the floor near them. What confused Sam was that Chad was nowhere to be found. Just then, voices were heard from outside, and they had to move. Continuing upstairs, the three had to take down a rogue Vestigial or two, but generally had no problems. Reaching the door at the top of a third stairwell, they found themselves on the roof, just as a figure emerged from the side. Startled, Freddie almost fired at the figure, but was happy to know he didn't when he saw Lindsey emerge. She threw her hands up in self defense, and realized he had no intentions of shooting her. She moved them aside, and closed the door, pushing some debris in front of it.  
"Alright, we need to get the hell out of this place, and fast. There's a ladder on the back, right there. We'll head down it, go back toKCJDC , watch the Vestigials for a few days, stock up, and see what we can do. Sound good?" The three were reluctant, but finally nodded. Lindsey smiled, and lead the way back. Once arriving, they saw the Vestigials had given up. Sam decided that now was a good time to see if any of the showers worked. Carly went to check on her arm, and Freddie followed. Lindsey just stayed low, watching the Vestigials. Plotting.

Author Note: Man, I had so many different ways this chapter was going to go. A few of them will go into a "deleted crap" chapter what will go up after the end. I'd estimate a few more chapters left guys! If I can get more than 5 UNIQUE reviewers, as in, others than the LoyalSquishyCool and Drag0 nL0rd, as well as the new ScoobyGang101, I might just make a sequel of sorts. BUT, you guys will have to suggest like crazy. Once I see two new names in the reviews, I'll think about a sequel. Untiltomorrow! 


	14. The Frail

------------------------------------  
Chapter Fourteen: The Frail  
------------------------------------

An hour later, Sam was once again asleep, finding out that one of the showers had indeed worked. Carly sat in the cell Sam was sleeping in, keeping an eye on her. Freddie was scrounging the nearby cells. Just as Carly was about to nod off, Lindsey ran up, and shook her awake.  
"Huh? Wha-? Lindsey? What now?"  
"Carly, get up. C'mere." She lead her back to the entrance, where they looked off to the hospital. A gigantic crowd of Vestigials were congregating near the road and looking up. A helicopter's whirr was heard in the distance, and they saw the source fly over, hovering above the Vestigials. A rope ladder rolled out, and Carly squinted to see into the cockpit. 2 Vestigials climbed up, and one went into the cockpit, shooting the pilot and copilot in the head, kicked the windshield out, and threw the bodies down. The other Vestigials snatched the bodies, dragging them into the hospital. Lindsey whispered to her.  
"It was a rescue copter. They've done this, who knows what they might do now? All day since we escaped, I've watched them dragging bodies in there. I have no clue why, but I don't care to find out. Oh shit, I think one of them saw us. Get back." They waited, and Lindsey peeked out. "Nope. We're safe. Well, as safe as we ever have been. Anyways, I'm getting sidetracked. Are we just going to live here?" Carly looked back to the warden's office.  
"The warden's office has a radio right?"  
"Yeah... why?"  
"Can you broadcast from it?"  
"Yeah. Still, what are you getting at?"  
"We're gonna make a call." She got up, and ran to the warden's office. Opening the door caused it to fall off the hinges. She shrugged, and found the radio. She tuned around, listening. Finally, she heard something. She tried to listen, even though it was filled with static and occasionally stopped making any sound.  
"Emergency... Any survivors... Military Extract.... Repeat..." Carly picked up the microphone, pressing the button to talk.  
"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?"  
"We... Interruption... Signal Quality... Suggest... Repair..." Carly turned the microphone off.  
"Damnit! Lindsey, get up here!" She hated to use foul language, always creating her own words to replace it, although Sam wasn't so lenient. Once Lindsey arrived, she asked her about the antenna. Lindsey pointed towards a door labeled "ROOF ACCESS". Carly slapped herself, and went up the ladder inside. Once on the roof, she looked around. She noticed that the antenna had some issues. First, she could see a dead Vestigial lying in the dish. How did she know he was dead? Easy. His head wasn't with him. In fact, she would later find it on the ground outside in front of the Detention Center. Secondly, she saw that the power cable was barely plugged in. She easily plugged it back in, but then looked back into the bowl. Removing him wouldn't be too easy. There was no way to get up to the dish, although his arm was hanging off the edge. She moved some nearby wreckage, including a metal vent cover, and climbed up, pulling him down. He fell on top of her, and Carly realized that his neck was still slightly spurting a little bit of blood. This was nothing compared to the fact that the vent cover then broke under her, which made her realize that the ceiling above the guard barracks was significantly weaker, which meant she crashed throuhgh THAT too. Landing on top of a bunk bed, she pushed the body off, and could hear Lindsey's worried shouting.  
"Are you ok? I heard some crashing!"  
"Yeah.. just covered in blood. Blood that's not mine." She resisted the urge to vomit, and got down, heading back to Lindsey. She tried the radio again, and it worked much better.  
"Hello? Can you hear me? We need some help! We're in the King County Juvenile Detention Center, and we've been running from some cannibalistic freaks who want to skin us and eat us!"  
"That doesn't sound good, but we already have all available resources dispatched. You're probably going to have to wait a good hour, miss. We're sorry, but just hold on and stay safe until then." The voice seemed a bit odd, and Carly began to think, but was interrupted by a scream from a Vestigial. Turns out smashing through metal and concrete isn't very quiet. She had to run to get Sam and Freddie, but the question was, if that Vestigial crowd was on it's way, how would they get out of this alive?

Author Note: There ya go, another chapter. This one was written to the sound of Incubus - Monuments And Melodies. Already got some of the cut parts ready for the deleted sequences chapter, and that one will go up the same night as the ending. I already have 2 alternate endings planned, as well as the official ending. Things are rapidly heating up for the four, and the end seems to be near. However, look forward to someone you all know in the next chapter. Good day, and see you tomorrow!


	15. The Wretched

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Chapter Fifteen: The Wretched ------------------------------

Shots rang out as the Vestigials attempted to stop Carly from reaching Sam in time. Luckily for her, the Blonde had already woken up, as Freddie got to her in time, and she tossed a chunk of concrete at them to divert them, giving a ducked Carly time to get to safety. Seeing that she had gotten behind a cell wall, Sam dashed back inside, escaping a flurry of machine gun fire. The three met up, and looked over to the wardens office, where Lindsey last was. It was empty, and the Vestigials were pouring into the room. They had to run, and hope that Lindsey was fine, although they each knew in the back of their heads that there was no hope for her. Carly did know, however, that help would soon be arriving for the remaining three. Taking refuge in the farthest cell they could find, they noticed a difference in a wall spot. One touch and it fell inward, revealing a previously tunneled section that had been shoddily covered up. They knew it was a last effort, and quickly began to file in, crawling on all fours to get through the small space. After a few seconds of crawling, a Vestigial had heard the sound of the wall falling, ran over to the cell, and lead others. Soon enough they were reaching in and trying to grab Freddie's feet, as he was in the back, behind Sam and Carly. Carly emerged into what seemed to be a generator room, with most of the ceiling missing. Sam emerged with Freddie in tow, and looked up.  
"Well, the only way out is up it looks like. No way the access door over there is safe."  
"Yeah, I guess. We should probably start getting up there. Here, Sam, I'll boost you up, then boost Freddie up, and you two carry me up, alright?"  
"Alright. Fredward, over here, now."  
Carly put her hands out, crouching. Sam stepped onto them, and Carly lifted with all her strength. Sam grabbed a piece of the roof, and pulled herself up. Next, Carly repeated the process with Freddie, and Sam pulled him up. The two leaned over the edge, pulling Carly up. Carly took in her surroundings, on the roof again. She could still see the hole that she collapsed through, and peered down. No sign of Lindsey, but an extremely large pool of blood sat on the floor. Carly immediately knew that she should have helped, but didn't. Sam took refuge behind another metal vent, and fired at a Vestigial who had climbed up as well, having to had taken the access door. Freddie and Carly also hid, and tried to help with taking out some Vestigials. Carly quickly learned that while she had no skill with figuring out how to work the gun, she was very accurate with the few shots she was able to make. Freddie was the exact opposite, firing like crazy, yet barely hitting anything. His best shot was probably a hit that landed in aVestigial s' liver. This was nothing next to Carly's eye shot, although Sam had an equal balance, firing efficiently with acceptable accuracy. A few minutes later, the Vestigials slackened. They seemed to be retreating. After about a half hour of waiting without any Vestigials in sight, Carly dropped back into the Warden's Office, and tried the radio again.  
"Hello? It's been at least a half hour. Is there any idea on how long?"  
"Like we said, miss, we cannot help that we don't have any available uni- wait, one just got back. Alright, what's your location?"  
"The King County Juvenile Detention Center."  
"Are you one of those kids who steals vehicles?"  
"No. In fact, We retreated here as a last resort."  
"Alright, we just sent a chopper out. Hold tight."  
Carly smiled. Things were finally going in a useful direction. Sam's hand dropped out, offering Carly help back up. Carly was surprised that she actually was able to pull her up with one hand. Once she got up, Sam showed a Vestigial's head to her.  
"Ew, what do I want with this? Seriously, Sam. What?"  
"Check this tattoo out." She pointed to a tattoo on the back of the Vestigial's neck.  
"So? He had a tattoo. Who cares?"  
"Carly, it was more than one of them. About half of the ones down there that we took care of have that same tattoo. Carly inspected it further. Two black rings, one inside the other, with a downwards arrow extending from the middle one. She noticed that the ones with the tattoo carried the larger weapons, which caused her to think that the Vestigials had a hierarchy in their grouping. Sam and Freddie then went back downstairs to keep an eye out for more Vestigials, and shortly after Carly had stood up and began to walk back to the hole to leave, she felt a hand grab the back of her neck.

Author Note: Things are going to be coming to a close when we get to the final chapter of the story, coming up tomorrow. Either the Deleted Sequences chapter will be up THAT day or the next. In other words, thanks for supporting me, my 3 fans, and I hope you guys are ready to see how iRradiated ends, and iRradiated 2 begins. 


	16. Eraser Denial: Realization

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Chapter Sixteen: Eraser (Denial: Realization)

Carly tensed up at the grip on her neck, and tried to look behind her. She couldn't, but that was fine, as her assailant thought it reasonable to spin her around to face her. She loosened up and began to smile, seeing it was only Lindsey.  
"Oh, thank god it was only you. I thought for a second that someo-" She was cut off by Lindsey's fist, which had just collided with her mouth. Stumbling back, she caught herself on a vent, and wiped at her mouth. There was no blood, which she was thankful for. However, seeing that Lindsey was walking over to her and cracking her knuckles was all that she needed to decide that this was a bad situation. She turned and climbed over the vent, looking on the ground for something to fight back. She attempted to grab a pipe, but by the time her arm shot out, Lindsey was already on her case, stomping her arm into the ground. Carly worried that her arm was broken, but didn't feel too much pain in it, so she though it couldn't have. What did hurt though was the kick she received to the head, which rendered her unconscious.

She awoke back in the studio, at the beginning of the final broadcast of iCarly. She remembered Sam and Freddie fighting over Sam calling him a cockroach, and she looked out the window, seeing the flash and relieving the moment again. However, this time something was wrong. As the blast tore through the building, it didn't break. Instead, it simply dispersed into millions of ravens taking flight away, leaving Carly standing on nothing. She tried to move, and was able to walk on the nothingness. She walked for what seemed like hours, although it was mere minutes. Her venture ended when she could hear a loud, guttural roar behind her, turning just in time to see a large quadrupedal beast leaping onto her, pinning her. As it began snapping at her throat and face, impaling her with the dozens of tentacles sprouting from its back, she noticed that it bore the Vestigial tattoo on its head. This one was slightly different, with two arrows portruding, one up and one down. Just as it removed her facial tissues, blackness enveloped her, and she awoke back on the roof of the King County Juvenile Detention Center. Well, more of almost about to not be on the roof, as Ls slowly pushing her off the roof, and Carly grasped the ledge at the last second to save herself. Lindsey just stared at her. Carly tried to find out what was going on.  
"Why are you trying to kill me?"  
"I'm sorry Carly. I would never mean to hurt you, but the Vestigials have my son, and are threatening to kill him if I don't kill you first. Like I said, I hope that you don't feel too much pain in this, it's really worse for me than it is for you. I can't explain how sorry I am, but this is necessary for me."  
"Freddie! Sam! HELP ME!"  
"Carly, stop! Don't make this any worse than it has to be. Just let go, and fall." Carly knew she had to stall her, but at the same time, her hands were aching and her grip was slackening. She could hear Sam and Freddie running up the stairs, and hoped Lindsey couldn't.  
"Carly, I told you, just let go and die already, so that I can save my god damned son and get the hell out of this godforsaken town. I just want you to u-rk!" She was cut out in the middle of her sentence by a spurt of blood, and she spasmed. Carly looked up, seeing a bullet hole in her throat, directly severing both her spinal cord and her vocal chords together. Lindsey took a step forwards, fell to her knees, and dropped, right off the edge that she was trying to push Carly off of. Carly watched Lindsey make her final descent, before becoming a stain on the pavement below. Sam took Carly's hand, and pulled her up to safety. Carly looked beside Sam, and saw Freddie, smoking pistol in hand. Carly stood up, and embraced him, Freddie blushing lightly at the sudden reaction. He dropped the pistol, and hugged her back, as they held each other for a few seconds. Freddie's hand was patting her back, and then he slowly moved his hand south. Carly spoke up the second he reached the top of her pants.  
"Freddie, this is a friendly hug, not an invitation for you to caress my buttocks, no matter how much you want to. Now, release, of I will have Sam do terrible things to you." He quickly let go, and Sam pointed to the horizon.  
"There! The helicopter's here! HEY! OVER HERE!" She began waving it down, and the pilot brought the chopper low to them, and the three climbed aboard. After a few seconds and a quick sweep, coupled with fire from Vestigials, the chopper took off, heading south. Chatter came over the radio of the Raven helicopter, and Sam and Carly began a deep sleep, leaving Freddie alone and awake. Thinking about sleeping himself, he looked into the cockpit from his seat. He noticed an odd marking on the back of the pilot's neck. He strained his eyes, and almost died when he saw what it was.

It was the Vestigial "Elite" tattoo from the bodies on the roof.

Authors Note: There you guys go, the ending to iRradiated. iRradiated 2 should be started soon, but no promises. Deleted scenes are up too. Enjoy 'em. 


	17. Memorabillia, Page 1

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Deleted: Memorabilia  
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Author Note: These were all ideas I had previously worked out into my head, but were cut from the story, followed by the reason it was cut.

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Previously to be seen in: Chapter Two Sequence: Alternate Awakening  
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Carly pulled herself out of the wreckage, and looked around. The entire building was wrecked, small pieces of the building here and there, and a few large chunks left. She noticed a frail body resting on one of the concrete pylons, a rebar jutting out of the stomach. Noticing it was Sam, she ran over.  
"Sam? Sam! Wake up!" She looked at the rebar. Covered in blood, it was alot more intimidating then one may have thought a rebar could be. Taking her friends head, she slowly pushed up, separating Sam from the deathtrap, and sat her up against the wall. Moments later, Sam finally awoke, and looked down, seeing her clothes were coated in blood. There was an immense pain in her stomach, and she looked down, seeing it had a large hole in it. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, trying to stop the pain. Carly ran over to her.  
"Sam! Are you ok?"  
"Ah... I-urk, I'm hurt. I wouldn't say I'm in good condition. I would say something like 'I've been in worse...' but then I'd be lying." She smiled, and Carly suck out her hand, helping Sam up.

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Reason for deletion: I felt it was too difficult to explain how Sam survived being impaled without studying internal structure for HOURS. Also, it would severely weaken Sam, making her MUCH less of her normal self, and life for the other two harder.  
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Previously to be seen in: Chapter Three Sequence: Carly enjoys the word "Shove"  
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"Yeah, that's right up Sam's alley."  
"Hey Fredward, shut it or that shovel will be 'right up your alley'."  
"I see your point."  
Carly grabbed their shoulders.  
"That's enough. Freddie, you know not to mess with Sam, especially when she is wielding something she is capable of taking you down with. Sam, the last thing Freddie needs is to remove a shovel that has been forcibly shoved where no shovel should ever have been shoved up in in the first place. So no shoving. Shove. Shovity Shove. Now, let's keep moving. Sam, what are you doing?"

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Reason for deletion: I felt it detracted from the setting and moment, and just seemed stupid.  
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Previously to be seen in: Chapter Three Sequence: Sam in the warehouse.  
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After a half hour, the trio finally arrived at the "Go! Bus Depot". Asking Freddie if he could try some of the buses and see if they work, and sending Sam to scavenge, she sat down for a few seconds, and heard Freddie sigh, defeated.  
"None of them work. One is so close, just needs one part."  
"Well, I sent Sam to look around, let's see if she brings anything back."

Sure enough, Sam had found something. Inside of the depot warehouse, she located a toolbox on the bottom shelf of a larger shelving system. Picking it up, she accidentally knocked a support loose, and it slowly started falling. Looking up, Sam screeched, and began running for her life. A horrible cacophany of screeching steel and smashing wood with metal filled the room, and Sam dove to escape the top shelf. It just caught her shoe, and she slid away shoeless. Without looking back she grabbed the toolbox and ran out of the warehouse, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of the two.

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Reason for deletion: I don't know, really.  
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Previously to be seen in: Chapter Four Sequence: Entirely different bus incident  
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"Hey, we might have to go off the road a bit. I just saw a crowd of those... those... lowlifes. I'll try to cut arou-" He was cut off at the sound of a gunshot ringing out. Swerving, the bus shook and lurched a couple of times, and Freddie lost control of it. The bus swerved as Carly tried to keep her wits. Sam jumped up and tried to take control, but only knocked it further off course. Carly looked up and saw that the bus was heading towards a small cliff, dropping a nice drop into the ground below.

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Reason for deletion: How in the hell would I explain a CLIFF? This does, however, set up the next scenes, as they were going to make a camp at the bottom.  
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Previously to be known as: Chapter Eight Sequence: Sam succumbing to radiation  
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That night, at the fire in front of the bus wreckage, Sam began vomiting uncontrollably. She had complained earlier about stomach pain, but she had seemed to feel better. Carly really worried when she saw blood in the vomit. She took Sam into the tent and got her to lie down on the mat. She went out to Freddie.  
"Do you know what's going on?"  
"Either that Slim Jim was bad, or she's got a fatal case of radiation poisoning."  
"Fatal? No... Sam can't die. She can't! How can you treat it?"  
"That's the thing, Carly. We don't have the medicine to even remotely DREAM of healing radiation. She simply absorbed too much radiation to handle, and it's going to kill her." Freddie himself was in fact blinking back tears as the thought of Sam dying hit him. Sure, she was always a jerk to him, but he never wanted her to die. He knew Carly was taking this worse, and he held her close to try to comfort her. Sam's vomiting was the only sound, until she shouted for Carly. She ran to the tent, and motioned for Freddie to come over.

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Reason for deletion: I didn't think that killing off Sam was very smart, especially if I wanted a sequel.  
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Previously to be known as: Chapter Eight part 2 Sequence: Sam succumbs to radiation  
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It was endless hours before Sam finally stopped vomiting, or at least attempting to. She had found out from Freddie that she was dying, and she had said her final goodbyes to them, all of them in tears at the same time. Sam apologized to Freddie for the crap she gave him, and said that she had "always kinda thought he was cute", which made him smile, and turned to Carly, admitting that what she had towards her was "more than friend-love", but could never express it to her. Right as Carly was explaining that she sometimes felt the same way, Sam suddenly stopped moving, then jerked forwards, shaking a little until she outright wasn't moving. Carly was shattered at this moment, and clung to Freddie, begging for him not to leave her and leave her alone. He promised her he wouldn't, and she continued sobbing until she fell asleep in his arms.

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Reason for deletion: I didn't think that killing off Sam was very smart, especially if I wanted a sequel.  
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Authors Note: That is the end of the first page of memories that are available, and make sure this story is on your alerts, so that you can find out when the next page is ready!


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